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For immediate release:    October 17, 2008

AIM Survey Highlights Employers Dissatisfaction with State’s Business Climate

Springfield, Mass. – The results of a survey of nearly 500 Massachusetts employers collected over the past several weeks was announced in Springfield this morning at the first of five regional public affairs briefings scheduled by Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) in October.   Eighty nine percent of the respondents graded business conditions in the state as fair to poor, while 11% rated conditions as good, and none rated conditions as excellent.   AIM is a nonprofit, nonpartisan employer association of 7,000 Bay State businesses and institutions. 

When asked to rank specific business concerns that impact the competitiveness of their respective operations, the cost of health care, fuel, electricity, employment costs (unemployment insurance/ workers compensation), and state taxes all   ranked as the areas of most concern.  Issues such as costs of HR, labor laws and environmental regulations along with the quality of elementary and secondary education, transportation, workforce availability, local taxes, housing costs and global trade issues were also significant in the rankings. 

“Conducting the survey and the regional public affairs sessions are all part of a plan to gather input from employers to help AIM develop and shape the content of its public policy agenda for the upcoming 2009-2010 legislative session,” said John R. Regan, AIM’s executive vice president-government affairs.

In addition to presenting survey results, the agenda for the Springfield session conducted at Solutia, Inc.’s Indian Orchard facility included a presentation on the state’s economy by members of AIM’s Board of Economic Advisors, a panel discussion on energy and environmental issues, an evaluation of the outcome of the current legislative session and its impact on the business community, along with a review of the scores obtained by members of the Pioneer Valley legislative delegation in AIM’s 2007-2008 Legislative Scorecard. 

Commenting on the results of the legislative scorecard, Regan said it was no surprise that the majority of the Valley’s delegation scored low in that the session, scheduled to end on December 31^st, is shaping up to be the most anti-employer, anti-jobs session in recent memory, with passage of legislation to:

• Saddle business with more than $400 million in new corporate taxes, $89 million worth of indirect assessments for health care reform, and the promise of an additional $45 million through regulatory changes
• Enactment of an unnecessary global warming bill that will only cause to further increase the cost of electricity
• Mandate treble damages for wage-payments errors by employers even though they made a good faith effort to comply with existing complex and uncertain regulations
• Expand mandated mental health insurance coverage to provide unlimited coverage for mental health treatment

On the scorecard results, Regan said, “In the Senate, only Westfield’s Michael Knapik (R) scored higher than the 47% average senate score with 67%, while in the house only Representatives Donald Humason (R-Westfield), at 88%, Michael Kane (D-Holyoke) at 50%, and retiring legislator Mary Rogeness (R-Longmeadow) who scored 88%, exceed the House average of 47%.   Obviously, with these kind of scores coupled with a weakening economy, AIM and the business community will need to redouble its’ efforts during the upcoming session to help legislators better understand the relationship between good paying jobs and a strong economy.”   

AIM Legislative Scorecard for the Pioneer Valley Legislative Delegation

Other regional AIM agenda building sessions are scheduled for Worcester, Waltham, Fall River and Billerica, Massachusetts.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brian R. Gilmore, Executive Vice President - Public Affairs
Phone: 617.262.1180
E-mail: BGilmore@aimnet.org
Website: www.aimnet.org